By Justin DiLoro / Billswire.usatoday.com
The Buffalo Bills won a mistake-filled preseason affair against the Detroit Lions, 24-20. While it boosts the Bills record to 3-0, there were many concerns within this victory.
There will be some work to do over the next two weeks as the Bills first-team units prepare for the New York Jets in Week 1 of the regular season.
With that, here are six takeaways from the Bills’ win over the Lions:
Passing attack lacks rhythm
The passing attack of the Bills, the one that looked so promising over the first two preseason games, largely lacked any significant rhythm. Quarterback Josh Allen ended the first half 3-of-6 for 49 yards. Two of his completions occurred during as part of a two-minute drill, so there’s at least a silver lining to the struggles.
John Brown caught two of the passes, while Beasley reeled in the other, only to cough it up. Nevertheless, the positives associated with the passing game over the first two weeks were largely forgotten with this performance. The misses were bad incompletions.
With the passing game seemingly de-emphasized this week, the unit will look to get back on track during Week 1. However, in a game which the first-team offense saw their most in-depth action throughout the preseason, it was concerning to see this group struggle to come close to their performances over the first two weeks.
It wasn’t until the second half that the unit found some success. However, Matt Barkley will not be starting in Week 1, so the excitement needs to be tempered a little bit.
The run game looks fine, though
There was a LeSean McCoy sighting, and it was promising. McCoy danced a little bit in the backfield but finally broke a 21-yard run during the team’s two-minute drill in the first half. On the day, he ended up rushing for 37 yards on six carries. Frank Gore continues to defy father time, rushing for 57 yards on eight carries.
The offensive line, a group that was much maligned last year, kept the team moving downhill. Isaiah McKenzie scored a six-yard touchdown on a misdirection, while Devin Singletary was able to turn the corner for six with exemplary blocking from the line.
Miscues all around
Ugh. There was a lot that did not go well in this game. Beasley, who has seemingly been Allen’s most reliable option, put the ball on the turf. Victor Bolden, Jr. fumbled a kickoff, ultimately giving the Lions great field position deep in Buffalo territory. Barkley tried to reel in a pump fake, only to lose eight yards on a fumble. A holding call negated a long punt return by Ray-Ray McCloud III.
Special teams penalties, offensive holding calls, defensive holding calls–yellow flags were flying all night. Buffalo went in reverse with several penalties, dropping 106 yards due to accepted fouls. Penalties extended drives all night, costing Buffalo field position and possession time.
Detroit decided to match the Bills with their errors as well. Allen threw a horrendous ball while moving backward, one which was picked off. However, a roughing-the-passer call bailed out the second-year quarterback. Nevertheless, it’s exactly the type of play that the team is trying to eradicate from Allen’s arsenal.
Injuries
It’s games such as this that make you want to bubble wrap the players before the regular season.
Quinton Spain, Tre’Davious White, Levi Wallace, Frank Gore all went down with injuries. However, Gore and Wallace returned, while it appeared that White was kept out for precautionary reasons. The severity of injury to Spain, yet another one to the Bills offensive line, was still being evaluated at the conclusion of the game. More will follow on Spain Saturday.
While several of these players seem to have avoided long-term worries with their health, the time these players were down was a definite cause for concern during this game.
The defense hangs tough against a starting quarterback
For the first time this preseason, but Bills defense faced a starting quarterback. Matt Stafford was quick and accurate with this throws, which put Buffalo’s defense on their heels a bit. However, the unit did not break, even while allowing 137 passing yards to Stafford. The only true blemish for the defense was a touchdown pass that the Lions completed, a fourth-down pass to running back Ty Johnson.
While the defense did not break, they largely did not get pressure on Stafford. This will be a point of emphasis over the next two weeks leading into the regular season, as McDermott will need to find creative ways for his unit to get pressure on quarterbacks who throw so quickly. The Bills ranked 26th in the NFL in sacks last season with only 36.
Tremaine Edmunds leads the way on defense
Edmunds was a bright spot for the defense on the night, standing out with eight tackles in less than one half of play. He initially made a nice play against the run, filling the gap and earning a tackle for loss. Credit can be applied to the interior of the defensive line, but it was Edmunds’ run stuff that completed the play.
He was also provided good coverage against the passing game during the night. It was promising, as the second-year middle linebacker was flying around the field in multiple situations. It could be a glimpse into the step forward that Edmunds could make this season with his game.